President Trump delivered his first speech from the Oval Office, an historic spot to use the presidential bully pulpit, to a polarized nation. There was not the slightest sign of melt to show for Trump's efforts.

"This Oval Office speech did not change 100 minds: We all know what we think of this President. His base cheers whatever he says and the remainder of America sees his giant credibility gap," tweeted University of Virginia opinion expert Larry Sabato.

Or in blunt words of State Rep. Gael Tarleton, D-Seattle, "Why did Trump abuse the Oval Office by giving another damned stump speech?"

And from U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal: "Donald Trump sounds like a broken record . . . It is time for the President to give up his vanity wall fantasy and allow us to focus on what matters, ending this shutdown."

An opposite perspective, offered by Republican consultant Lance Henderson: "There was a time when #Democrats WANTED stronger borders. So why the sudden change? Because they DON'T want to give @realDonald Trump a win."

Several Northwest political leaders were rummaging around Trump's head and motives rather than fixing on the predictable words out of his mouth.

Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, commented: "The President just wants us to give him $5.6 billion so he can falsely claim that he's kept a campaign promise. That is breathtakingly irresponsible."

"Trump's 'border crisis' is a fraud," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. "The wall is a wasteful and ineffective way to secure the border, and the only national emergency here is the damage Trump's fragile ego is doing to the country."

In a line that political aide Jamal Raad insisted was not crafted by staff, Gov. Jay Inslee said in a prequel to Trump's speech: "We don't have an emergency in national security as much as we have an emergency in presidential insecurity."

The facts laid on the table, about drug pushers and terrorists, drew immediate rebuttals.

"The Drug Enforcement Administration has found that most of the drugs smuggled into the U.S. through the southern border pass undetected through legal ports of entry," Rep. Rick Larsen, argued.

Veteran Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon debunked the border as an entry point for terrorists, a point first made by Fox News host Chris Wallace.

"The majority of suspected terrorists enter the United States through airports, not through the southern border," said DeFazio. "The best way to root them out is a well-funded, well-trained TSA -- too bad President Donald Trump is forcing them to work without pay for the duration of the Trump Shutdown."

Rep. Derek Kilmer dwelt on those who were not discussed in Trump's speech -- laid off federal workers. Kilmer has a lot of them as constituents, in a district that is home to Olympic National Park and an array of federal facilities.

"Because of the shutdown, the conversation unfolding across 800,000 kitchen tables as federal workers try to figure out how to scrape together mortgage payments and car payments and rent payments -- trying to make do without a paycheck."

And Sen. Patty Murray inadvertently pointed out the obvious -- Trump played to his base and did not change minds. And the President is not changing his mind.

"The only thing that the American people learned tonight is that President Trump is willing to say and do anything to justify wasting American taxpayer dollars on his wasteful border wall," said Murray in a Tweet.

And the impasse goes on.

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.